LunaLee Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 No you are not the only one. I just realized today that basically I am working to fill up our gas tanks. And fwiw, I drive a Saturn, dh drives a small truck and he only drives to and from work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margo out of lurking Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 I'm almost giddy when I go to the gas station. We bought a Prius two years ago, and I get 55 mph. I just started driving in ECO mode and am getting 62 mph on this tank of gas. Everyone else is quite glum at the gas station. I like the car a whole lot more than I ever expected, and that's not even counting the gas mileage. (No, it does not plug in. Ever.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LidiyaDawn Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Now I'm afraid to ask dh what we pay for gas (he takes care of that stuff) - we've got a fairly big truck and I'm sure the answer would be nasty. :ack2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 We have one SUV and two smaller cars that get much better gas mileage. The only problem is that one of our small cars is on its last leg, and currently not usable. So, I drove 100 each way to camp for the boys yesterday and will turn around and do it again Sunday to pick them up. That will cost roughly $84 for camp. Thankfully this weekend was free camp so I didn't pay for camp. We are slashing the budget right and left right now. I am quitting the chiropractor and the supplements from her. We are cancelling TV when our contract is up tomorrow! I have started couponing again and have already got a good stock of hair care products, so I will keep plugging along with that. I am hoping with all of this to cut the budget by about $400. We need to get a car fund/savings in place. If it gets too hard we may end up quitting some other things.....Tae Kwon Do is one of them. We will see. I combine Target trips with TKD as they are right across the street from each other. We are learning to prioritize with driving. Scouts is 16 miles away but that scout troop (homeschool group) is worth every penny of gas money spent to get there and back! Scouts is also close to large shopping areas, including Costco, so we can combine trips. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdalley Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 To the OP, sorry to have gotten off topic there. My husband is 6'8" and he doesn't fit into anything comfortably. Our Ford F-250 diesel pick-up is guzzling the gas and we are definitely feeling it. Unfortunately, dh will not fit into a Prius!:auto: DH is 6' 2", oldest is 5' 9" and growing nightly it seems. I'm 5' 8". The other two are just going to get taller and larger. My Dad was 6' 4" and my brother is 6' 5". A smaller vehicle is not going to work for us. So 'thinking about a trade in' is out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 (edited) OUCH! I've really felt for people who have long commutes right now. It really makes it very difficult. :( Edited April 17, 2011 by alpidarkomama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfamilygal Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 It cost me $115.68 to fill our van the other day. Yikes. Thankfully our other car (the one we use for driving to work) is a hybrid and gets better milage. Everything in TX is so spread out, I drive 52 miles round trip just for work. But I only work once a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybear Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 :driving::svengo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristinaBreece Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Right now, we're a one vehicle family that can't go anywhere all together unless we borrow the "extra" car (it was DH's when he was in high school--now it just hangs out at his parents' house) from my ILs. Our Cavalier died a few months ago & we haven't been able to work another car into the budget just yet, so we're living with my F-150 as our only transportation most of the time... Ouch. DH drives 35 miles to work one way, and gas is eating up about $100 every week. That's if I go NOWHERE. On days when we do have the other car, it's almost as expensive to keep gas in it. It's a 1997 Chevy Blazer-- not great mileage either way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tressa Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Not the only one. I will be so glad when our extra classes end for the year. I am not signing up for any next year because of the price of gas. I do live within walking distance to some things, so that is a bonus, but we still pay out $60 a week in gas for just my car. My husband gets good mileage, but he has a commute. Thankfully, we paid off his car so we can stick that money in the tank instead. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 I can't stand to pay over $100 to fill up my Suburban. Dh just told me this morning that he would like to get a smaller car for me to use when I don't have all of the kids with me. Hmmm...I wonder what kind of gas mileage Jaguars get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Not the only one. I will be so glad when our extra classes end for the year. I am not signing up for any next year because of the price of gas. I do live within walking distance to some things, so that is a bonus, but we still pay out $60 a week in gas for just my car. My husband gets good mileage, but he has a commute. Thankfully, we paid off his car so we can stick that money in the tank instead. :glare: This is me. By early June our extracurriculars are done and we'll be spending the summer at a nearby pool. The next thing we're thinking is that dh may be able to tele-commute at least one day a week. He's in IT. Hope his boss goes for it. Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 I have to drive to the airport 45 minutes away twice a week and I have been noticing the prices creeping up. The cost to fill my van has varied from a low of $35 to a high of $70. It really hurts when I make my trips to GA. I knew the drop from a few years ago was going to rebound though. My poor college kids can barely afford to put gas in their car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texascamps Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 What is sad is that most of us are changing the way we live. We used to visit town to shop more than once a week, we could drive to the thrift store, the grocery store, the mennonite bakery, the rec center the small town theater. All of these places would earn our money. Now, we go to Wal mart once a week. No Rec center, no classes, no cinnamon buns... yoga classes, no organic lettuce from the health food store. No picnics in the State Park The extra money I pay in gas ($800 for March) is no longer going to employ neighbors, its all going to Walmart to buy outrageously priced lettuce that is shipped by trucks that are also having to pay outrageous gas. How long will it be before the Yoga instructor, the health food store, the Mennonite bakery and the State Park go under because most of us are barely keeping our own heads above water? What's the solution? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 It costs me more than sixty pounds to fill up the tank of my Ford Focus hatchback. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 I'm almost giddy when I go to the gas station. We bought a Prius two years ago, and I get 55 mph. I just started driving in ECO mode and am getting 62 mph on this tank of gas. Everyone else is quite glum at the gas station. I like the car a whole lot more than I ever expected, and that's not even counting the gas mileage. (No, it does not plug in. Ever.) I never thought I would say this, but we're looking to buy "something" in May and this is one of our picks. The Accent gets 40 mpg and you can find a base for about $10,000. We're still car shopping, so we haven't made a decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 also off topic...My dh isn't that tall, but tallish. When we last went shopping for a car, we tried to look at a Saturn. My dh got in the car and had the seat all the way back but wasn't fitting (long legs). He didn't know the seat was all the way back and tried to push it back more when something made a pop noise :001_huh:. The look on the car salesman's face was horrific! He actually commented that this car was not a good fit for us. No kidding?! Yeah, neither my dad NOR my uncles could fit into a small car. One of my uncles is 6'6". What are those people supposed to buy??? :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 $4.19 for regular here yesterday at a moderately-priced gas station. So glad DH is a bike commuter...and will be again soon! He's off the antibiotics, and healing really quickly! PT is going well. Sorry for OT, I just needed to squee! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 But petrol/gas is a fossil fuel. It is a limited resource, not an endless one. This had to happen- and people have been trying to warn us about this period of cheap oil coming to an end, for decades, but especially in the last decade. We have soooo much technology and it doesn't all have to be dependent on fossil fuels/plastics. I think we're already seeing a shift away from the fossil fuel mentality, but I think it's going to be a long change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntPol Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Mly husband looked at our bank account. He asked me "Have you paid bills this month?" I replied, "No. Just insurance." He then questioned, "Where is our money going then?" GAS and Groceries -the two things the government doesn't want to toward inflation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blessed3x Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 It takes 1/2 hr to get anywhere, so we are feeling it, too. Dh works 45 min from home and I don't go out unless I have to. Us too!! Fortunately he works 4 x 10 hour days, so that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 I just go "lalalalala" in my mind as I go to my Happy Place and ignore the increasing amount of money required to fuel our van. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 What's the solution? Denser living. No sprawl, no huge yards, no single family dwellings for everybody - but living in towns where the distances are such that you can WALK to store, bakery, yoga, library. i.e. a departure from the car centered society. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Mly husband looked at our bank account. He asked me "Have you paid bills this month?" I replied, "No. Just insurance." He then questioned, "Where is our money going then?" GAS and Groceries -the two things the government doesn't want to toward inflation. That makes my stomach hurt. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Yeah, neither my dad NOR my uncles could fit into a small car. One of my uncles is 6'6". What are those people supposed to buy??? :confused: I've heard good things about the Honda Fit for taller people. Head clearance in it is really high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Denser living. No sprawl, no huge yards, no single family dwellings for everybody - but living in towns where the distances are such that you can WALK to store, bakery, yoga, library.i.e. a departure from the car centered society. This thread and the mass transit one remind me that American culture and expectations have changed considerably since my childhood. Growing up in a one car family, walking or taking the bus was the norm. My Mom pushed me in a stroller to the A&P for groceries when weather permitted. Although we lived in the city, my parents canned many, many quarts of fruits and veg so we "shopped" the cellar before going to the store. Perhaps the good that can come out of this will be an uptick in the use of neighborhood public parks and playgrounds. Instead of driving to the store for a single item or two, send a teen out on a bike. I realize that not everyone is within "bikeable" distance to a store (or has roads which are bike friendly), but many people are. Rethinking car use is not a bad plan. Perhaps we can learn some lessons from Europe or America of the past? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Dh works from home and only has to drive in twice per months...WHEW! But, dd is a paramedic and pre-med student. Her EMS and teaching hospital/university is an hour away (one way). Our saturn sedan gets 31 mpg even around town and the Honda CRV we just bought gets 26 in town and 30 on the highway if we drive gently. I am grateful for the higher mileage cars. She will drive the saturn until bad weather hits and then the Honda for AWD. Given that the nearest grocery store, pharmacy, and hardware store are nine miles away on country roads with speeding cars and NO shoulders but flanked by deep enough drainage ditches that most cars that go into the ditch roll no matter how gentle the entrance, biking is NOT an option. I do think we will see families doubling up in homes and especially in this area during the winter heating season. Fuel oil was $3.84 a gallon this winter. Propane (our back-up system which we didn't use) was $1.89. We heat with wood so our total expense was $800.00 for October - April for wood we didn't harvest ourselves. We'll be putting in more of our own for next year so that expense will be lower which will also help a little with rising fuel costs for dd. It's going to further tank Michigan's economy. I predict that a number of seasonal campgrounds, hotels, canoing/kayaking businesses, and restaurants up north will end up declaring bankruptcy this year because too many people are saying they can't afford their usual two week vacation escape to the Northern Lower Penninsula or U.P. Gas prices will kill the tourist industry, which means more burden on an already nearly bankrupt state. UGH! The really sad thing is that our government has had it's head in the sand for so long, America does not have an infrastructure in place for public transportation. People cannot simply decide not to drive when there is no other option for getting to the doctor, pharmacy, hospital, grocery store, or hardware. Where we live, there aren't any alternatives unless one calls 911 and asks the ambulance company if they can drive you to your doctor's appointment or the grocery store. We will be growing A LOT more food this year and I've heard some neighbors discussing having gardens and canning for the first time, so the one thing that our rural hamlet can do may be done on a larger scale. Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 We are actually within walking distance of a grocery store, swimming pool, etc. They'd be long walks, but doable. Even the library is only a 5 mile bike ride away. Only dh has a required commute. The problem I have is how to make no car living feasible with small/several children. When I was in Austria, it was just me. Everything could fit into a shopping rollertote or two hand tote bags and that was great. I can't do that anymore. I'm trying to convince dh that he should carpool. Our nextdoor neighbor is also employed at the same corporation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 (edited) We spent $762 on gas for our two cars in March. We are on track to spend the same in April. And we don't even drive an SUV. Other than living like hermits...I'm not sure what else we can do. :blink: :001_huh: Ouch. We spend approximately $260 per month as it stands right now. I drive an old 15 passenger van. I love Bessie Lou. She's dependable, ugly, but solid, and she can hold all the children. She also gets approximately ELEVEN miles to the gallon. We do grocery shopping once every two weeks and only DH & I go in his little fuel efficient Honda Civic. We have co-op (about 1.5 miles from our house) once per week. Directly before or after I'll pick up produce and swing by the library where we will have pre-reserved all of our books online and they'll be awaiting pick-up. DH's portion of this is about $38 per week. Mine is the rest and that's all I drive with the exception of once every three weeks, I have to go to Portland for my perinatologist appointment. He then takes Bessie (his commute is 15 miles) and I take his Civic. Plus, frankly Bessie's wide bottom is hard to park in a parking garage. I'm really sorry. We've had to adjust accordingly as well. It's hard, but necessary. Being completely neutral and playing devil's advocate, don't you HAVE to admit that there was a need for making us all think about (and cut down) on our gasoline useage? Gasoline isn't a never ending supply and until we're absolutely FORCED to changed our lifestyles and think about alternative fuel sources, we'll just stick our fingers in our ears (or our heads in the sand) and live the same comfortable life.... Consuming, consuming, consuming, like locusts. I'd love to be able to run to JoAnn's once a week. I can't. I'd love to swing by the grocery store 4 times a week, I can't. But, in the end, it's good to make these choices. We cannot own an SUV. We are forced to own the 15 passenger by necessity, but we have seriously considered trading in our vehicles for two mini-vans. However, in the long run, DH would lose gas mileage for the commute with his little car, so no, not yet. We (the kids & I) just have to stay home a lot more. Edited April 18, 2011 by BlsdMama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 I forgot to add, I spend $150/month for my minivan and Dh's commuting costs are about $240. So, we spend $390/mo right now. :svengo: (We spend $400 on food.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 I've heard good things about the Honda Fit for taller people. Head clearance in it is really high. We have a friend at our church who is 6'4". He drives a Honda Fit. My 6'1" husband drives a MINI Cooper Clubman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 We're in the process of moving closer to downtown. It's more for convenience than anything else, but it did occur to me that it may end up saving us some on gas. We drive small cars, anyway. My husband has several months left to go on the lease for his MINI Clubman (35 MPG), and I just bought a "larger" four-door VW Golf (32 MPG). So, the rising prices thus far aren't affecting us by more than a few dollars per fill up. Currently, we live about 20 miles from downtown, and I do a round-trip drive an average of at least one and a half times per day. (In other words, one day I'll drive it once, the next two times, etc.) I also do a fair amount of driving closer to home for groceries and errands. And my son currently dances twice a week at a studio closer to us than downtown. I've also been making about 10 round trips per year to and from Virginia, where my daughter is in college. However, she graduates next month, so those trips will end (thank goodness!). Once we move, I'll be within five miles of most of my son's activities. My husband will add about 16 miles to his round-trip commute, but I'll be saving as much as 30 on my running around. Plus, we'll be able to walk or bike to some things to which we currently have to drive. It might end up saving us a tank of gas every week or two, which would be nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 We traded in the truck for lil Suzuki right when prices started going up. I dont take any jobs that are more than two miles away. Basically I can walk to them, b/c it costs more to drive than pay is. Walk dd to school when it does not rain. A bike may be in the summer future. Fortunately we live downtown so everything is walk accesible. If we were living in the country it would be tough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Denser living. No sprawl, no huge yards, no single family dwellings for everybody - but living in towns where the distances are such that you can WALK to store, bakery, yoga, library.i.e. a departure from the car centered society. I grew up in a city neighborhood. I could (and did) walk to the meat market, grocery store, bakery, drug store, donut shop (my dad always b*tched about how they spell it wrong :lol:), library, bank, school/church. That neighborhood is now one of the most run-down, dangerous neighborhoods in the city. All those little store are gone. The school is closed. The church is closed (and might be sold & moved to another state b/c it is such a beautiful church that can't be replicated anymore.) My brother and I go down our "old street" when he comes back into town and we hold our breath until we see if "our house" is still standing. There are quite a few empty lots where houses used to me. Lines from the REM song Cuyahoga run thru my head when DB & I make these trips: This is where we walked, this is where we swam Take a picture here, take a souvenir... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texascamps Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Denser living. No sprawl, no huge yards, no single family dwellings for everybody - but living in towns where the distances are such that you can WALK to store, bakery, yoga, library.i.e. a departure from the car centered society. I know that's what a portion of our society wants. But its truly creepy to lose the freedom to travel, see the world, and to have to live where one wants just so we can go to yoga....doesn't seem worth it to live like cattle, especially when we have the resources and know-how NOT to have to live like that if we can just get past the environmentalist religious agenda. I hope we can snap out of it soon before the country craters. Why is it that so many folks want us to be like "Europe?" Our land is not the same our people are not the same our resources are not the same,our history is not the same, etc..... Why would want that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Well, van was almost empty and I put a thin dime less than $60 to fill it - kinda hoping ds does NOT want to come home for the weekend as his college is almost a 6-hr round trip drive away....that is a couple tanks of gas, almost, to bring him home and put him back a few days later. :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 (edited) I know that's what a portion of our society wants. But its truly creepy to lose the freedom to travel, see the world, and to have to live where one wants just so we can go to yoga....doesn't seem worth it to live like cattle, especially when we have the resources and know-how NOT to have to live like that if we can just get past the environmentalist religious agenda. I hope we can snap out of it soon before the country craters. Why is it that so many folks want us to be like "Europe?" Our land is not the same our people are not the same our resources are not the same,our history is not the same, etc..... Why would want that? Nobody makes you lose the freedom. you can travel all you want. You just have to pay what it costs to live your life style. You asked what would be a solution for the cost of gas - this would be one. I did not say you had to like it. Nobody forces you to live in a town. You can choose to live whereever you want. Hundred miles from the nearest town, for all I care. Then you just have to pay for your commute. Nobody will take this freedom away from you. Seeing that natural oil and gas are finite resources, we can expect prices to go up, before it runs out completely. Currently we do not have the know-how to solve the energy problem, at least not for prices that anybody would want to pay. I'll just use the freedom to choose to live within biking distance of my job. Edited April 18, 2011 by regentrude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Nobody makes you lose the freedom. you can travel all you want. You just have to pay what it costs to live your life style. The person to whom I responded asked what to do about cost of gas - high gas prices are here to stay. Nobody forces you to live in a town. You can live whereever you want. Then you just have to pay for your commute. Nobody will take this freedom away from you. :iagree: I love living in the country and wouldn't change it for anything. I have no need for yoga, bakeries or other sorts of things. A walk in our woods down by the creek watching the herons and eagles is more relaxing than anything else I can think of. Just being in a city or town can stress me out. But yes, the trade off is it can cost us a little bit more to go to church or the grocery store. It's worth it - and then some. If gas gets too much higher we'll break some of our ponies to drive. Their value might increase a bit! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 We just spent $76 to fill up our Traverse. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 I can't ever decide if peak oil means I should move to a homestead or if it means I should move into a walkable town with a lot large enough for a garden. My husband and I have been around the same idea. I don't know what would be the better solution either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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